بِسْمِ اللهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيْمِ
In this article, I would like to share a piece of many histories of the Maritime Kingdoms in the Southeast Asia.
In this article, I would like to share a piece of many histories of the Maritime Kingdoms in the Southeast Asia.
Viking Of Orient
In essence, The Melayu and the sea could not be separated, just as Facebook to our modern world. A western historian once said that Melayu possesses sixth sense when it comes to the sea, just as the Vikings and Phoenicians. This may be well proven with the existence of many great Kerajaan Maritim such as Srivijaya, Kataha, Majapahit, Lembah Bujang, and Chih-Tu.
Knowledge Of The Sea
Another western historian have mentioned that the Melayu's skills of the sea is exceptional. Before Admiral Cheng Ho lead thousands of Chinese triremes into the Malayan Archipelago, and before Christopher Colombus discovered the New World, Lynda Shaffer said that Melayu had already began their exploration on sea.
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| Cover Of Lynda Shaffer's book |
There is also chinese transcripts that speaks about pelaut melayu. As Lynda mentioned in her book:
"The chinese knew the inhabitants of the island were known as shipwrights and seafarers and their involvement with the maritime trading. The chinese actually learned alot from them. The Melayu built ships by utilizing tikar anyaman strengthen using bamboo, atleast couple hundreds years BC and that The Han Dynasty (206BC-221AD) used this ship design."
From as early as The Han Dynasty, many historians have verified that the Chinese has learnt alot from the Melayu. If you were to ask to a commoner, "what was the contribution of Melayu to the world?" Well this is the proof. The technological advancement that made Admiral Cheng Ho's voyage possible. The contribution of Melayu knowledge of the sea does not end here.
Enrique Of Malacca
If I were to ask who was the first man to sail the world, I would expect you to say Ferdinand Magellan, correct? But what if I tell you that the ACTUAL first man who sailed the world was a Melayu named Panglima Awang Hitam? Oh yes, a Malay who had been threatened to convert into christianity during the colonization of Portugal to Malacca, and became the crew of Ferdinand Magellan, else be killed right where they found him.
What's interesting here was that Magellan acknowledged that his mission would turn sour without the aid of a Melayu sailor. That was how much pelaut Melayu were in demand at the time. Magellan was set to not made the same mistake as Columbus did when he mistakenly sailed for India and accidentally landed in the New World.
During his voyage, Magellan was attracted by the skills of Awang and made him his right-hand man. As his right-hand man, he gained enormous reputations amongst sailors. It was no surprise that when Magellan was killed in Philippeanes, he was acknowledged and appointed as the Admiral of Magellan's fleet.
Despite Awang's continuation of the journey, it was Ferdinand Magellan who made the name as the first man who circumfered the world. If I were to ask people of today, how many Melayu would even recognize who Awang was?
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| Picture courtesy of Google.com |
In is inevitable to say that the advancement of Science and Technology had changed the world, including the Maritime Industry. We have witnessed the evolution of the ship composition itself; formerly made from wood to steel in modern ships. Despite these changes, the person who man the vessel is indifferent. We still eat our own food, sleep the same hours, have the same skill of adaptability as our ancestors do. Therefore, it is our duty to carry the torch from the past; to extend our carried goods to shores past their reaches.
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| An old map "Largo Vascutta" Picture from oldmaps1500.org |
https://www.facebook.com/notes/helmi-effendy/ilmu-laut-bangsa-melayu-part-1/428725807180477/
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